Alex Murdaugh was indicted Thursday for gunning down his better half and child after a board of 12 members of the jury went through under three hours pondering.
The jury viewed Murdaugh to be liable of two counts every one of homicide and weapons ownership without suggesting a solitary conversation starter to the appointed authority while gauging the case.
The board’s choice came after they persevered through a tiresome six-week preliminary and declaration from 76 observers – including Murdaugh himself.
Investigators contended that Murdaugh, 54, utilized a shotgun to murder his child, Paul, 22, inside a feed room connected to the canine pet hotels at the family’s home, Moselle, and a rifle to execute his significant other, Maggie, 52, June 7, 2021.
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The disbarred attorney carried out the double slayings to stave off a devastating financial reckoning, Assistant Attorney General Creighton Waters told jurors.
The wealthy scion of a once powerful legal dynasty has admitted he’s a drug addict and thief who allegedly swindled his law firm and clients out of nearly $9 million – but denied killing his wife and son.
The most damning piece of evidence against Murdaugh is a cellphone video recovered from Paul’s phone in 2022 that places him at the murder scene with the victims four minutes before prosecutors say they were shot to death at 8:50 p.m.
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For months, Murdaugh repeatedly told investigators, friends and his own family that he did not go to the dog kennels the night of the slayings. He claimed, instead, that he was napping at the main house perched on a hill then left to visit his mother in nearby Almeda at 9:07 p.m.
When he returned, he didn’t find them at the main house, so he drove to the kennels, where he said he came upon their mutilated bodies about 30 feet apart, checked their pulses and then called 911.
In any case, GPS information from his Chevrolet Rural uncovered that he dialed 911 under 20 seconds after he pulled up.
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“Nineteen seconds. Is that enough time for a shocked person to run over that scene, process how the situation is playing out, escape the vehicle, go around there, check both their bodies then call 911?” asked Waters in shutting contentions.
“The motivation behind why it’s so speedy is on the grounds that he knew precisely exact thing scene he planned to find,” the investigator told attendants. Murdaugh asserted when he affirmed that he had checked their heartbeats while he was on the telephone with 911.